Indra and Lakshmi: A Pair of Works

Renowned for his commemorative sculptures of champion animals and equestrian portraits, the worldly and well-connected Herbert Haseltine took commissions from international royalty and travelled as far as India to complete a lifesized monument for the Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar in 1933. Returning to India in 1938, the artist began a passion project inspired by the Maharaja's favorite stallion and mare, with a vision to create opulent, jewel-encrusted horse heads. Haseltine created the first versions of his design in bronze, and he would wait nearly a decade before finding a patron to fund his expensive final versions. In the late 1940s, the heiress Barbara Hutton commissioned the 24 carat, crystal and precious stone adorned heads, which are among the most extravagant sculptures ever produced by an American artist. The pair was sold in the Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva in November 2014.